


Pylons, Portals, and Power

by EvRain



Category: Apex Legends (Video Games)
Genre: F/F, Multi, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:28:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25220047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EvRain/pseuds/EvRain
Summary: Renee and Natalie receive an unexpected guest, words and a bed are shared.
Relationships: Wattson | Natalie Paquette/Wraith | Renee Blasey
Kudos: 39





	1. Portals

**Author's Note:**

> Some rough and idle words that came to mind after a joke I made among friends, inspired in part by the good content that's around, and the troubled times occurring.

Off-season, off-world, and on-a-break, Renee felt a tinge of guilt for taking a moment to relax when there was still so much to do. What she felt used to be far worse, until Natalie helped Renee remember how to relax, how vital it was to stay charged by knowing when to put the wires and cutters down.  
  
It couldn’t be helped, planet side too hot after recent events, the Syndicate on lock down for a time, still there were worst places to be, and worst company to keep.   
  
Not a day went by that Renee wasn’t amazed by the love Natalie gave, which in part included sharing rather nice and secure accommodations aboard a Syndicate space station. Natalie’s expertise and profession, in combination with her legacy, let her have plenty of room with a workshop included during the downtime.   
  
Renee was in a relatively good place, where she couldn’t ask for more, on one fine evening among the stars though, she did wish Natalie would heed her own lessons.   
  
“Natalie. Enough, it’s late.” Fresh out the shower in an oversized white T-shirt with a black dome shield logo on it (gift shop, Gibraltar sized), Renee stepped gingerly in her slippers into Natalie’s workshop.   
  
Renee idly dried one side of her hair, with a towel draped over her shoulders, as she drew closer to Natalie’s workbench, where she sat hunched over on a stool, still in her usual jumpsuit with the hood down.   
  
She gave no reply, the sounds and sparks of energy flickered and flared with Natalie focused in on her latest project.   
  
One of Loba’s bracelets alongside a prototype of Renee’s gauntlets, part of Loba’s payment to cover debts from the last fiasco. Renee was more than a little wary to let anyone tinker with tech she used and had come to know extensively, but if anyone had her trust too, Natalie was at the top of the list.   
  
Renee crept up, still no sign of Natalie having heard or noticed, Renee chose the moment to act, when tools were set down and Natalie crossed her arms, a frown visible from the reflective surfaces scattered around.   
  
Renee hugged Natalie from behind, a tense jolt at the sudden touch, that eased as her right hand came up to hold Renee’s arm. “Babe. C’mon.”   
  
“Is it that late already? Ah, but I’m so close to a breakthrough! Maybe just a few more minutes...?”   
  
“No. Breakthroughs can wait.” Renee shook her head as she leaned over Natalie’s, a curtain of damp black locks fell around her, alongside a small shower of droplets. “Shower and sleep.”   
  
“Ack! Renee, your hair, getting me wet.” Natalie tilted her head back to look up to Renee, hands flailed to push hair aside, as well as the impromptu sprinkle.   
  
“Oh no.” Deadpan as she could possibly muster Renee waved a hand to the rest of the work bench. “You can’t work while damp.”   
  
“Safety hazard, no choice but to evacuate.” Renee pulled the rolling stool out with one foot, in the same motion she scooped up Natalie, who put up a token of resistance, with a soft chuckle.   
  
“Ah, Re-!”   
  
Then came the faint whiff of ozone, hairs on the back of Renee’s neck stood on end, a chill over her spine, that made her freeze up. Natalie seemed to feel it too, she fell silent, her eyes darted to and fro, as she pushed away to stand on her own.   
  
“There.” Renee pointed to a spot off the side, seemingly empty air if one didn’t know what to look for, a razor thin point where the light seemed to split and skip a spot. She knew the sensation, made sure the two had a plan just in case; Renee didn’t even need to say another word for Natalie to spring into action.   
  
_Someone’s opening a portal._   
  
A table turned onto the side, a pair of pistols in hand, a knife in addition for Renee, while Natalie held a remote in her free hand. A pair of panels slid back on the walls, pylons emerged from the openings and whirred to life, custom models of Natalie’s own designs and installation.   
  
_Why wasn’t I warned?_   
  
The two weren’t foolish enough to install any auto-turrets or the like, Crypto made it clear how easily those could be fooled or hacked. Natalie’s solution and equipment was more hardwired, with plenty of protections against any number of incidents.   
  
“Ready?” Armed and trained on the almost unseen portal-to-be, Renee spared a glance to Natalie at her side.   
  
“As ever.” A confident grin and a steady hand from Natalie, was more than enough to dismiss any possible worry that rose in Renee.   
  
A flash of light, a crackle in the air, and an almost comical electrical pop, a portal appeared in the room. In response it seemed to shake, the lights flickered and shut off, that bathed the entirety in a gloom, lit only by the glow of the portal and pylons.   
  
A murky figure emerged, features indistinct in what little light there was, the portal’s glow behind them cast a shadow over the two.   
  
The Voices Renee usually heard didn’t respond as the figure took agonizingly slow steps forward, something, almost familiar about it as it came forward.   
  
“Wait.” Renee whispered and raised a hand, she pushed the barrel of Natalie’s handgun down. “Natalie?”   
  
Renee called out and the figure stopped in their tracks, in the same moment the portal closed, and the lights flickered back to life.   
  
“R-r-Renee?” Said with a cough, their voice a little deeper and on the hoarse side compared to Renee’s own Natalie, the figure lifted what appeared in a better view, to be a pair of soot covered goggles from their eyes. “Oh! I, guess that worked?”   
  
The rest of their body in a similar state from head to toe and along every visible nook and cranny, soot, or a soot like substance, coated them thickly as a second skin. “And-? Oh, bonjour, this must be very confusing.”   
  
If she hadn’t seen stranger things or experienced some of it herself, Renee would’ve doubted the fact that before her stood a Natalie, while at Renee’s side was her own, the two rose to their feet.   
  
“Renee did you do this?”   
  
“No, this is new, hm, Natalie?”   
  
“Yes?”   
“Yes?”   
  
Renee could’ve slapped herself at the mistake she made. “No, I mean, the Portal-Natalie, what would you prefer to be called?”   
  
“Hm, just Nat would be fine, if that’s okay with you Natalie?”   
  
“That’s fine, I like to be called Natalie instead, Renee also has nice ways of saying it.”   
  
“Oh, I know what you mean, I like Nat more, with how my Renee can say it-!”   
  
For a moment Renee thought she was in a dream, that she’d simply fallen asleep after her shower, as she listened to Nat and Natalie get in an animated conversation, that amounted to the two of them gushing over Renee.   
  
“Wait, wait, I think we’ve gotten off track here. Why don’t we clear this space, and get you cleaned up?”   
  
“Good idea.”   
“Good idea.”   
  
“Jinx!”   
“Jinx!”   
  
Renee did her best to stifle a chuckle at the mirrored moment from the two.  
  


* * *

  
A few minutes later, the workshop cleared, seats arranged in an isosceles, towels brought, and a spare outfit. Nat’s soot covered body, a result of most of the clothing portaled over, had fried in the process.   
  
The three seated, a silence hung in the air, while in hand each had a mug of a hot drink, that Nat sipped enthusiastically at.   
  
Natalie broke the quiet first, hands clasped around her mug, fingers drummed on the surface, brow furrowed in thought. “Hm. I guess I have a sister now?”   
  
“Oh, no, not quite.” A shake of her(?) head.   
  
“Brother?”   
  
He(?) shook his head again.   
  
“Then. Sibling? Like Bloodhound.”   
  
That earned a nod from them.   
  
“Ah good, I think our Bloodhound would be ecstatic to meet you.” Natalie perked up and the tension fell from her expression.   
  
“When I told them, my Bloodhound that is, gave me an axe. They said to use it against anyone that willfully ignored my wishes.”   
  
“A good gift.” Renee piped in and nodded. “That aside, how’d you get here?”   
  
“With this.” Nat lifted their arm up, after another wipe with a blackened towel in their lap, to reveal a gauntlet, that aside from the filth and what looked to be burnt out components, was a match for the one Natalie had on her bench. “I was having trouble with it, then I had this amazing breakthrough, and-!”   
  
“Wait, did you manage-!”   
  
A French flurry of technical talk that left Renee with glazed over eyes, she was shook from her stupor by a gentle nudge from Natalie. “Renee, do you think you could portal Nat here back?”   
  
“Oh? That’s.” Renee played the few bits of the conversation she did pay attention to, parts that stuck out to her, or when her Voice piped in to tell her to focus. “Not possible. Nat, you said you used it planetside and ended up here?”   
  
“Yes, why is that an issue?”   
  
“Then we should do it on the ground, I’m pretty sure your gauntlet might've gotten in sync with the one here, and brought you up to space. If I tried to open one _now…_ ” Renee held back on some of the possibilities and issues. “We can catch the next shuttle down tomorrow, you can just stay here until then.”   
  
“Alright then, since you’re here.” Natalie hopped to her feet and set her cup aside, she clapped her hands together. “Why don’t we collaborate on some projects?”   
  
Nat did the same, a gleam in their eyes. “I didn’t think of that, this is a rare opportunity, imagine what two of us could do!”   
  
“Oh no, hold your horses there.” Renee bolted out of her seat and took each by an ear, as the two went towards the bench. “It’s late, both of you still need to shower, especially Mx. Soot-Suit.”   
  
Reeled back, shoulders slumped for a moment, both gave a weak nod.  
  


* * *

  
Laughter, squeals, the splash of water and a shout of joy, Renee could hear it all spread out on top of the bedsheets.   
  
It filled Renee with the strange sense of regret and just a twinge of jealousy.   
  
She declined the offer to join the two, neither seemed to find the situation too strange, and she’d already taken a shower.   
  
Still, she did her best not to think too deeply about it at first, she spent the idle time to prep the guest couch, clean the area, weapons, and do one last security sweep, just in case.   
  
Renee finished far faster and the bathing taking far longer than expected, left her with those thoughts that came back in like the tide.   
  
The hiss of a door and a brief cloud of steam, Renee lifted her head up, as Natalie’s peeked out. “Renee?”   
  
“Hm?”   
  
“Would it be okay if Nat slept with us?”   
  
A hint of hesitation and a nervous frown from Natalie, Renee tilted her head to the side,a puzzled look across her face in turn. “Sure, bed’s big enough anyway.”   
  
One of the stranger investments from Natalie, Renee had to admit it did pay for itself so far with the time the two had been together.   
  
“It is, just to be sure, I mean _with_ us.”   
  
“...” It took a moment for gears to click as Renee propped herself up on her elbows. “That. Needs a proper talk.”   
  
It didn’t take long for Natalie and Nat to come out (shorter hair a real time saver, to Renee’s envy at times), Natalie in a short pearl and tan nightgown, while Nat wore the long sleeved and pants set to match, one Natalie wore when she got cold usually.   
  
Both stood at the foot of the bed in front of a seated Renee, who had her arms and legs crossed, still with a puzzled frown to her. “So, how’d this come up?”   
  
“We were comparing notes about our worlds.”   
“Talks turned to you, well, my Renee.”   
“Things took a natural turn.”   
“Oui, and I thought, since you do so much for me, us, I wanted to treat you to something special.”   
  
The two didn’t miss a beat, it was strangely nice to see the two Paquettes get along so well, it made Renee consider how she acted and been treated the few times she’d met other versions of herself. “I'm not against the idea.”   
  
The twinned expressions lit up like some of the brightest bulbs Natalie kept around the work shot, that dimmed with a word.   
  
“But. Would your Renee have any issues with this?”   
  
“Not at all, we once had another Renee visit us, it was very fun.” Nat’s face turned a shade of red that Renee knew all too well, while Natalie’s also did the same, neither could meet Renee’s gaze.   
  
_These two…_   
  
“Alright then. I’m in your capable hands.”   
  
“You’ll let us know if it is too much right?”   
“I don’t want to overstep either.”   
  
The bright expression turned to ones tightened with concern, that warmed Renee’s heart a few degrees. “I will, not sure how you two want to start though.”   
  
Though she had long come to terms with her amnesia and strived to fill more vital gaps, at the moment Renee wished she’d managed to recall the more romantic aspects of her life before.   
  
“Oh, we didn’t actually discuss that part. Nat you have more experience, yes?”   
“I do, but, um, one moment Renee.”   
  
Nat took Natalie by the shoulder and turned her away, the two going into a whispered huddle.   
  
_Cute._   
  
Renee stretched out in the meantime, a few moments later the two seemed to reach a consensus, a nod shared between the two.   
  
“One last thing.” Both turned back to Renee, with Nat the first to speak up. “Would you two be okay if we used my, our, spark plug?”   
  
The questioned got a blank look from Renee, who glanced at Natalie, her face nearly the same blank expression.   
  
“Do you not call it that here?”   
  
Renee couldn’t recall the part ever being mentioned in any conversation with Natalie, it was also one that was rather outdated and rarely used, even on the Frontier, where tech tended to lag behind a few steps. “Spark plug... Wait, do you mean-?”   
  
“Ah, they mean ma petite pylône, though spark plug, is very good.” Natalie snapped her fingers and giggled, one that Nat mirrored.   
  
The laughter from the two brought a slight grin to Renee’s face, the smile showed more in the turn of her eyes. The sound filled her with a warmth, that she was certain it could melt even the coldest part of Epicenter. “I don’t mind, if you two have finished your plans?”   
  
Another joint nod and the two flanked Renee, both crept forward with care, that Renee couldn’t help but compare the two to a pair of Prowlers that spotted prey.   
  
Her notion wasn’t wrong, when the two closed the gap.


	2. Pylons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nat and Natalie spoil Renee, with a quiet talk in the end, and whispered words from one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rough partial chapter, as more explicit and nsfw material isn't my expertise and takes far longer to work out for various reasons.

(NSFW Placeholder)  
  


* * *

  
A little breathless, a little sore (no doubt it’d be more in the morning), with a need for a mirror and better lighting, to see the extent of the hickeys and other marks the two left around her body, Renee rested between Nat on the left and Natalie to the right on the bed.    
  
She expected that she’d be a little hotter with the additional body, though between the A/C and the bed that had a few other features she learned through the night, it was actually fairly pleasant.   
  
In the afterglow of it all, the two at her side cuddled close, a trait shared that Renee more than welcomed, a question she meant to ask floated to the surface. “I have to ask.”   
  
“Hm?”   
“Mm?”   
  
“Why were you two, so focused on my tech?” Renee had been given reasons, advancement of science, possible new equipment, other things that all made sense, yet still she could tell there was something unsaid.   
  
“Do you want to answer?”   
“No, this is your world and your Renee, you should.”   
“Are you sure? You’re the one that has more travel experience.”   
“I insist.”   
  
Natalie nodded in the dimly lit bedroom. “In case of emergencies, I, we, worry you know. That one day you might just get in trouble.”   
  
“We know you look after yourself, in more than one way.”   
  
Natalie was one of the few Renee had shared the full extent of her Voice, though if it made Natalie worry, Rnee couldn’t help but wonder if it was the right choice.   
  
“Still, it helps to have emergency power, if blackouts or short circuits occur.” Natalie fell back on more electrical based talks, a sign Renee knew was one way she tended to cope and get her thoughts through.   
  
“That’s good to know. I’ll do my best so that never comes up.” A quick kiss to the side for Natalie, on the opposite she felt Nat give a squeeze of the hand they held.   
  
  


* * *

  
Later in the night, Natalie fast asleep, Renee not quite there but close, she heard Nat speak just above a whisper by her ear. She wasn’t sure if they knew she was awake, or thought she was asleep, it was only three words.   
  
“Keep her close.”


	3. Power

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A reunion, a return, and the rest.

Among the skills and other things honed over time and that stuck even with her Amnesia, Renee was glad that among the lot, that she was deft with her fingers, supple of wrist, and knew how to fly a shuttle solo.   
  
She didn’t want to even imagine some of the issues that’d come up, if more people found out that there were two Wattson’s running around.   
  
On the ground now in a secluded little spot among a rocky outcrop planet side, fairly far away in the wilderness from any settlement, she passively watched as Natalie and Nat poured over the repaired prototype gauntlet.    
  
Ever since the trio had woken up, the two had spent most of the time making the most out of the love of science and tech shared, in the short span of time the two had left.   
  
Renee for her part, was ready as ever while the two wrapped up the last agreed upon project, she could feel by instinct the tear in reality, that’d open with a bit of focus, and her own gauntlet.   
  
Then it happened again, the feel of a portal once more, the trio went on alert, and before the three knew it a multiple figures emerged when a portal snapped open. Armed and armored, weapons drawn on both sides, the voice that broke the silence after the thud of feet, crackle of the portal, was Mirage, or rather a Mirage.   
  
“The Ca-ca-cavalry has arrived!” Filled with bravado and dramatic flare, flanked by more than a few of his holographic clones that struck poses, and what Mirage considered ‘intimidating’; Renee rolled her eyes at the display.   
  
_ Some things never change. _   
  
Aside from the copies, there was another Wraith, and a Bloodhound, both seemed to share Renee’s sentiment, with a shake of heads and a disappointed sigh.   
  
“Babe! You came.” Nat rushed forward and practically pounced on the Wraith that had emerged, who welcomed it with an open arm, the other quickly lowered the R-301 in the other hand.   
  
“Nat, hey, thought you were kidnapped.” A quick peck on the lips shared between the two, it made Renee shy away, while Natalie did the same.   
  
“No, no, I’m fine, just a science experiment gone wrong.”   
  
For the Bloodhound and Mirage’s part, neither even flinched, and before Mirage could crack a joke or make another quip, Bloodhound dragged him back into the portal, after a nod from Wraith.   
  
“These two actually helped me out and were about to send me back.” Nat pulled away just enough from their embrace, to gesture towards Natalie and Renee.   
  
“I see, thanks.” A warm smile towards Natalie, when the Wraith’s gaze met Renee’s, she could feel a certain coldness come between the two.   
  
She simply gave a nod in acceptance and Wraith did the same.   
  
“We should go, have some catching up to do.”   
  
“Bye bye then, don’t be afraid to visit!” Quick as the group came, they left just as quickly, Nat and Natalie shared a wave in farewell, as she called out one last time.   
  
Left alone in the secluded spot once more, not a sign that a portal to another dimension and or time had been formed, Renee breathed a quiet sigh of relief.   
  
“That went well.” Natalie stepped to Renee’s side, took her hand and leaned on her shoulder.   
  
“It did.” Fingers twined together, gaze still towards the now empty space, Renee rested her head on top of Natalie’s to the side. Thoughts of the scene and how Renee shied away for a moment, as well as the night before ran through her mind. “Natalie.”   
  
“Mm?”   
  
“You are, my pylon, you know?” A little hesitant still when it came to the L word at times, Renee drew on alternatives, namely one Mirage suggested.   
  
“...I intercept you?”   
  
“No, not at all, more like, you ground me.” Renee had to remind herself that not everything always came across well to Natalie.   
  
“Oh, of course I do. I wouldn’t want to accidentally shock you again. Electricity can be quite dangerous.”   
  
“No, I meant-” Renee lifted her head and pivoted to face Natalie, who wore a smirk and snickered, that made Renee feel a fool, but one very much in love.   
  
Natalie rarely did anything straight, but when she kept up a straight face, she could do it to a T. “-you know what I mean.”   
  
“Of course I do. You know, it’s a beautiful day, we don’t have to return the shuttle for a while…” A hug and a kiss to her cheek, with a whisper to Renee’s ear, Natalie pulled back to lock eyes with Renee.   
  
“I wouldn’t mind a walk about.”   
  
“Excellent, if we find a good spot, perhaps I could set up my  pylône?” Straight-faced again, Renee could only laugh as the two began to walk away.   



End file.
